Creature
by Lostspelunker
Summary: Something's in Fire Country, something not pretty. What is it? Can it it be stopped...or will it feed? Rated M for graphic violence.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! Sorry if this is kind of odd, but the idea just came to me, so I had to get it down. This is my first attempt at horror, so if you could review with any comments or suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. I have a story for this, so if you could review with whether or not i should continue or leave as a one-shot, that would also help. :).

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My footsteps made thudding noises in time with my heart as I sprinted through the dark woods. It was after midnight, of that much I was sure, but I was finding it hard to pinpoint the exact time, as I had left my watch back at the now abandoned campsite where I was going to rest for the night.

As if to purposefully interrupt my thoughts, a distant roar filled the trees, surrounding me in it's horrible clutches. My adrenaline gland kicked into overdrive as I sped up, trying to get away from the beast that was chasing me.

"_You won't make it,_" a little voice in my ear whispered to me as the trees sped past. "_It will catch you, and it will kill you, and it will destroy all trace of you and no one will know, and no one will care._"

I thrust that part of me away. I will get away, and find people, find backup, find _someone_ to help me slaughter the beast.

"_Where would they be?_" my inner voice whispered. "_You're miles from any place with people who could even begin to help you._"

Again I forced myself to shove away those murderous thoughts.

Another roar sounded, closer this time. My heart sped up in response, and I wrung as much power as i could muster into my legs to go faster.

I shuddered as the memory of the beast flooded through my head. I had been camping, and as I came into a clearing, looking for the perfect spot to set up for the night, I saw something that I never want to see again as long as I lived.

The beast was crouched over the carcasses of three children, they couldn't have been more that five or six years old. All of their faces held expressions of utter terror, which was made worse by their blank, dead, staring eyes. One of them seemed to stare straight into my soul, asking me why she had to die. Why she would never be seven, why she wouldn't see mommy or daddy anymore, why she was the one who had to end her life being torn to shreds by a beast who was only supposed to live in her nightmares, under the bed, in the closet. But not in the woods, not the beast who opened her window as she slept and tore her from her dreams into the jaws of her death.

I let out an involuntary moan as I staggered and nearly fell, which would mean my certain death. Where did that girl live? Did she live in the small village a few miles north of here, or perhaps farther away? How long did she scream until she could scream no more? Did she even get the chance to scream before dying? Or did she just let out the barest whisper as her voice caught in her throughout while her vocal chords were paralyzed with fear.

I let out a scream as a muscle in my leg spasmed uncontrollably. I had been hiking all day, and now, just when I needed my legs most, they were failing me.

I went down with a heavy thud. As I fell, I could see the stars through a gap in the forest trees. I noticed my throat hurt. I was screaming, a lot. But I couldn't hear it. All I could hear was my own heartbeat.

_Thud._

_Thud._

_Thud._

_Thud._

I slowly pushed myself up to stare blankly into the eyes of the very beast that had been chasing me. It's low growl cut through the thuds of my heart.

As I felt the beast's teeth sink into my leg I knew that I was going to die. There was a tearing noise, and I looked down to my leg to see blood squirting in bright crimson gushed from the stump where my leg used to be. Bile rose in my throat once more as I looked at the remains of my body. I couldn't run anymore.

Slowly the pain rose until the blistering white-hot agony had taken over, clouding my vision and the rest of my senses.

Thankfully, black began to creep over the edge of my vision, and I felt myself slip away. Away from the pain, from the night, from the sightless eyes of the young nameless girl whose face my own surely matched.

Goodbye.

* * *

Cackling laughter tore through the woods as the beast moved in for his kill.

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So whatcha think? Click down at that little review button to answer. Plllllllllleeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssseeeeee??????


	2. Chapter 2

Hi. This is chapter 2 of Beast. I thought that I should explain a little background, because it wasn't even really clear that it was a fan fic in the previous chapter.

The Akatsuki have broken up, and Madara and Sasuke's team have vanished for the time being. Madara needs to regroup, because the containment he was using for the tailed beasts has been destroyed. Tsunade's Hokage again, and the village has been rebuilt as much as possible. Life has pretty much gone back to the way it was before Peins attack, while everybody's waiting for Sasuke or Madara's next move.

Yeah…

So, enjoy!

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The beast crept through the abandoned midnight streets. No one walked the streets at this hour, so it was alone, though if any stragglers appeared, it would be more than willing to show them why they should know better than to walk around their little village at this, the witching hour.

Only one building still had lights on. The beast crept closer. Contrary to the image of a human hater, it was fascinated with these humans, who built such wonders like tall-mud-and-stone buildings and controlled glowing-pain-causing fire, even though they lived such short lives and had so little in the way of defenses, especially against one such as it.

It crept up into a tree that had woven it's leafy branches into the building side, and came to rest by a hole in the walls side. The hole fascinated the beast. It was clear, yes, but the hole was covered with an ice-water-but-not-ice-cold plate, which seemed ridiculously flimsy and useless to one such as it. It peered inside to view a light gold haired human female slam a pile of white-leaf-black-marked squares called paper onto a rectangle of wood.

The woman gave a rather impressive snarl and growled in the rough language of humans, saying, "Goddammit! This is the fifth murder this week, and it's only Tuesday! It was only a kid this time, and what worse, these attacks seem to be getting closer and closer to Konoha each time."

Another human female with black short hair, holding a tasty looking pig wearing pearls came forward hesitantly. "Tsunade, maybe it's just a wild animal or something. We could be getting all worked up about nothing."

"Are you trying to say that one civilian, one gennin and one chunnin have all been killed by a simple wild animal?" the woman growled. "It's simply not possible. Something's out there, something not good."

"Do you think..." the pig holder, Shizune, quailed under the glare of the older woman, but continued on bravely, "Do you think it could be one of the tailed beasts? No ones quite sure what happened to their spirits after the place Akatsuki was holding them was destroyed."

"No," came the reply, "A tailed beast would have done much more damage, Konoha would have known before this if one of the beasts was back."

"Then what...?"

"I don't know, Shizune, I don't know."

The beast snorted softly. Foolish humans. They were spending too much time obsessing over what it was. Not that it was complaining, that simply mentthat it would continue to be able to feed without being hunted for that much longer.

It climbed down from the branch and wandered off into the night, lokking for its next dinner.

_Later that night._

The beast curled up in the cave that made up it's home. It was nearing dawn, and it's belly was plenty full from the meal it had enjoyed. Some human had gotten up early for a morning run, but unfortunately for him, he had become a wonderful hunt for the beast.

Rumbling contentedly, the beast closed its eyes for a rest, waiting for the next night, and the next hunt.

Suddenly, crackling energy filled the gray stone cave. The beast eyes flicked open with irritation, which became devotion as it recognized the one that had freed him from his thousand-year prison and set him loose on the world once more. He raised his head and bowed it towards the man. Though no human was his master, the beast owed a debt to him, and so served his wishes, at least for the next year or so.

"I have a target for you."

The beast blinked in understanding. His master had many enemies. Some were more satisfying to hunt than others, and some were just plain boring and tasted bitter with corruption and age.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

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How do you like it? I am rather proud of myself, but I wish it were a bit longer. Oh well, maybe next chapter. I would like at least two reviews for next chapter. Please? Please please please please please? I will give you a cyber cookie.


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